Remember the Google local update we reported about earlier this month, well the local SEO folks are still tracking this update in detail. Joy Hawkins named it the Bedlam update because it is "a scene of uproar and confusion" and she hates the animal names (sorry, had to use a roaring lion image). But she also posted an update saying she things this is about "relevance, not proximity."
In the large Local Search Forums thread, Joy said on Wednesday "So far based on the hours I've poured over screenshots and ranking trackers, I'm becoming more convinced the main factors that got updated are related to relevance, not proximity."
She then added "With Possum, almost every SERP got changed drastically based on proximity. I'm not seeing any of the same patterns here. I don't think this update is at-all similar to Possum."
Joy did warn that this is early and she has to do more research before she publishes her findings but here is some early theories from one of the most respected local SEOs in our industry. I can't wait to see her official post.
Forum discussion at Local Search Forums.
